Elementary Education majors must have a cumulative grade point average (G.P.A.) of 2.5 overall, as well as a 2.5 G.P.A. in the
major for admission to Professional Studies.

All teacher education majors at Illinois State University are required to write a 1-2 page, 500 word reflective essay discussing how they
view themselves in relationship to the virtues identified in Illinois State University's conceptual framework for teacher education, 
 Realizing the Democratic Ideal. This essay is intended to be completed early in candidates' programs, and will be contrasted
with candidates' final reflective essays at the end of their program. This essay must be entered on LiveText and will be 

assessed on LiveText.

For native (i.e., starting at ISU as freshmen) Elementary Education majors, the initial reflective essay requirement is an
assignment in your Introduction to Elementary Education course, now C&I 204. Submit it on LiveText and share it with

your course instructor by listing him or her as a Reviewer. 

If you are a transfer student who took the equivalent of C&I 204 at another college, you are advised to complete this assignment
independently by the fifth week of the semester in which you are enrolled in C&I 208, in order to ensure that you will be able to
register for C&I 209 on time. You will enter your essay on LiveText and indicate that you want to share it with Tabula Rasa 
as a reviewer only (do not check other sharing options). It will be evaluated and returned to you with notification that you met 
requirements or that the essay needs revisions. Be sure to check back in LiveText on the status of your submission by clicking

on Reviews under Collaboration; if your essay has been sent back to you, open it up and read the reviewers' comments, make
any requested revisions, save it and then resubmit it. [If you are not familiar with LiveText, please refer to the instructions on
how to submit items for review on LiveText, here]

Complete directions for how to write the essay, including the rubric that will be used to evaluate it, are available on the LiveText
website once you log in. Click on projects, then on create new, and then, on the third page of the Simple Wizard that takes you
through the set up of a new document, select performance based assessment requirements. Check only the box that says
initial reflective essay (i.e., uncheck the others). To register electronically for livetext orientation, visit www.coe.ilstu.edu/eRegistration

Candidates must receive a grade of “acceptable” on the initial reflective essay in order to be admitted to professional studies.

The on-line form used in documenting successful experience with children or youth may be downloaded from
http://www.coe.ilstu.edu/ci/. The form's web page also gives suggestions for the kinds of activities that meet this requirement, on page 2. 

The supervisor of the activities/experiences that you submit as evidence of successful experience with children must
sign the form and answer the corresponding questions. Candidates may need multiple forms in order to complete the
recommended 20 hours. Take the signed and completed form to 56 DeGarmo Hall, or mail it to: Office of Clinical
Experiences & Certification Processes, Campus Box 5440, Normal, IL 61790-5440.

This form is a university requirement designed to allow candidates to self-report legal or ethical activities that may affect certification
in advance of the mandatory Criminal Background Checks by Illinois State Police, which must be conducted once candidates are
given clinical placements in which they have extended and direct contact with children. Please note that this is NOT the same as
background check. Native candidates (those beginning their careers at Illinois State University) should submit Assessment of
Legal and Ethical Conduct forms during the semester they are enrolled in C&I 204; transfer students should complete
this requirement during the C&I 208 semester. 

If a faculty member, staff, or school personnel files a disposition concerns report on a candidate, he or she will discuss the
concern with the teacher candidate, and ask the teacher candidate to sign and date the form. The original form is sent to the
Office of Clinical Experiences and Certification Processes (CECP). The CECP office will send a copy of the concern to
the student’s major program coordinator. The program coordinator will meet with the candidate and attempt to help the
candidate resolve the dispositional concerns.  Departments must notify CECP when they are satisfied that specific concerns
have been resolved.

Specific indicators of appropriate professional dispositions for teacher candidates can be found online by going to
http://www.coe.ilstu.edu/cecp/PBA/PBA.htm and then clicking on Dispositions Concerns. All teacher candidates are
evaluated against these disposition indicators, but only those candidates who engage in behaviors that suggest a negative
disposition are reported to the CECP.

If a student has a record of three dispositional concerns in the CECP office that have not been reported as resolved
by the teacher candidate’s major department, the student will have a “No” for meeting this disposition assessment
and will not be admitted to Professional Studies or to Student Teaching. Candidates receiving three or more disposition
concerns during student teaching will have a" No" posted for meeting this dispositions, and will not meet the
"Exit From Student Teaching" gateway requirements necessary for certification.

Teacher candidates must  demonstrate effective speaking and listening skills in a variety of contexts. Quality communication is
expected not only in the classroom, but also in formal and informal faculty, student, and parent interactions. Good oral presentation
skills include good volume, rate, expression, articulation, and also good non-verbal skills such as eye contact, posture, gestures. 
Speaking and listening skills contribute to establishing effective messages and teacher credibility. More specific indicators of
effective oral communication for teachers and teacher candidates can be found at http://www.coe.ilstu.edu/cecp/PBA/PBA.htm .

Faculty, staff, and supervisors who have concerns about a student’s speaking and listening abilities will report those
concerns so that remedial actions can be implemented.  Faculty/Staff will discuss the concern with the teacher candidate. 
The faculty/staff member will complete the Communication Concern form, review the rubric with the teacher candidate, and sign
and date the form. The Communication Concern form will be forwarded to the CECP office. CECP will send a copy of the
communication concern to the student’s major program coordinator. The candidate’s major advisor should refer the teacher
candidate to the Communication Speech Lab, Fell Hall basement, to meet with lab staff. 

The student will be expected to maintain the Communication Plan and when it is completed will obtain a signature from the
Coordinator of Communication Education.  The Coordinator of Communication Education will then notify CECP that the
plan has been met. It is the student’s responsibility to notify their major advisor that the Communication Plan is completed. 
Students not meeting their Communication Plan will have a “No” for meeting the Communication Concern and will
not be admitted to Professional Studies and/or Student Teaching. Candidates with unresolved communication concerns
during student teaching will not meet requirements for the Exit From Student Teaching gateway necessary for certification.

ITPS competencies A (#1), C(#2) and E (#3), and must be completed before candidates will be admitted to Professional Studies.
(You can click on each of these numbered items to view the specific details of each competency, then use the back button on your
browser to return here.)  Competencies A ( # 1) and  B # 4 are achieved through the use of on-line tests. Native candidates achieve
Competency C ( # 2) (telecommunications)  in English 101.

ITPS competencies D, (#5) E (#6), F (#7), G (#8), and H (#9) must be completed before candidates will be admitted to Student Teaching.
Competencies D-G must be entered on LiveText. Directions for entering an item on LiveText and sending it to an
instructor may be found here.

If you are a transfer student or a candidate who for any reason did not demonstrate competency in one or more of the
ITPS competencies within a course, send an email to alternative.assessor@ilstu.edu  to make arrangements to complete
the tasks and have them assessed.

In the Elementary Education Program: 

• Competency D (#5) (Web Page Development) is an assignment in C&I 257 (Science Methods). 
• Competency E (#6) (Idea Development) is an assignment in C&I 258 (Social Studies Methods)
• Competency F (#7) (spreadsheets) is an assignment in C&I 208 (Literacy 1). 
• Competency G (#8) (Desktop Publishing) is an assignment in C&I 233.01 (Middle Level Education
  and the Young Adolescent)

Competency H (#9) (assistive technology) should be completed during the semester in which candidates are enrolled in C&I 209
(Literacy II), although it is not a course assignment per se. Demonstration of this competency, as its Web Page explains, is a
two-part process: there is an online test, and then a hands-on demonstration test in the Special Education Assistive Technology
(SEAT) Center in 324 Fairchild Hall. More information from SEAT about completing the requirements for Competency H (#9)
can be found at http://www.coe.ilstu.edu/seat/itps/.

Competency I (#10) (database management) must be completed before candidates exit Student Teaching. In the Elementary
Education Program, Competency I (#10) is achieved via the use of LiveText to create and manage an information database of standards
and artifacts required in the elementary education and teacher education programs. All required evidence must be present for the
portfolio to be considered complete. Student teaching supervisors will determine the specific criteria used for evaluation.

If you are a transfer student or a candidate who for any reason did not demonstrate competency in one or more of
the ITPS competencies within a course, send an email to alternative.assessor@ilstu.edu to make arrangements to
complete the tasks and have them assessed.

A negative Tuberculosis (TB) skin test is required for all candidates in order to register for student teaching. Results are good for
one year. After one year from the date of issue, TB tests must repeated to re-certify that the candidate remains TB-free.  Therefore,
Elementary Education majors should be sure to get their TB test results no later than the eighth week of classes in the semester
immediately prior to their student teaching semester (the week of pre-registration for the next semester). Keeping in mind the one-year
expiration of the test results, candidates student teaching in the Fall semester should get their TB test results no earlier than January of
the year in which your student teaching occurs. Candidates student teaching in the Spring semester should get their TB test results
no earlier than June of the year before your student teaching occurs.

In accordance with state laws dictating that no one may be certified to teach or supervise in the public schools who is not of
good character, a criminal background check is required for all teacher candidates before they are permitted to register for
student teaching. Background checks are good for one year, and must be renewed annually until candidates have exited
from Student Teaching. Because criminal background checks can take up to two months during busy times, it is recommended
that candidates first submit applications for the background check even before the beginning of the semester immediately prior
to their student teaching semester. Keeping in mind the one-year expiration of the test results, candidates student teaching in the Fall
semester should not get their criminal background checks earlier than January of the year in which student teaching occurs. Candidates
who are student teaching in the Spring semester should not get their criminal background checks earlier than June of the year before
student teaching occurs.

The form used to initiate the Criminal Background Check is available in DeGarmo 56. The completed form is sent, along
with a check or money order in the amount of $16.00 payable to Illinois State Police,  to the following address: 

Illinois State Police 
Division of Administration
Bureau of Identification
PO Box 408380
Chicago, IL  60640-8380 

If your background check is not returned to you within 60 days, check the status with the Illinois State Police. 
Provide them with your canceled check information.  Call 815/740-5164.

When the Background Check is mailed to you:

1. Make a copy of it for your own files.
2. Return the original to the Teacher Education Center, Rm 56 DeGarmo.  If you are not on campus you
   may mail or fax it to:

            Lilly Meiner
            Illinois State University
            Campus Box 5440
            Normal, IL  61790-5440
            (Fax)   309/438-8684

Effective Fall 2008, in addition to the state police fingerprint background check, education majors will be required to obtain an FBI fingerprint criminal background check for Admission to Student Teaching. Students will be able to obtain the FBI background check through the Criminal Background Check Clinics that are held on campus.
 

Candidates can find out test dates, access a study guide  for this test, and register for the test online at  http://www.icts.nesinc.com.
Study guides and registration booklets are also available in the CECP Office, DeG 56. When registering for the test, candidates must
identify Illinois State University as the institution to which scores should be reported.

In the Elementary Education Program this requirement is assessed in C&I 209 (Literacy II) where candidates are paired with elementary classroom students to tutor reading. Candidates will assess and then plan and implement instruction in reading for a student. This task is reported in two stages, and two separate rubrics are used to assess this PBA task on LiveText: one rubric assesses the candidate's written plan, and a second rubric assesses the candidate's actual implementation of the lesson with the student. Complete descriptions will be given to you in C&I 209, and are also posted on LiveText under Performance Based Assessment requirements are available on the LiveText website once you log in. Click on projects, then on create new, and then, on the third page of the Simple Wizard that takes you through the set up of a new document, select performance based assessment requirements. Share your finished product with your instructor on LiveText by adding him/her as a Reviewer.) 

All candidates must plan and implement a lesson that has a multicultural emphasis. Elementary Education candidates will complete this assessment task in student teaching.  The candidate may designate which lesson will be assessed using this rubric.  The lesson plan's objective(s) must be grounded in multiculturalism and diversity, and be related to moral virtues 1, 4, and 6.  The teacher candidate must actually teach the lesson and effectively deliver the instruction in order to achieve the objective. In a post-implementation reflection, the teacher candidate must be able to articulate, either in writing or by conversation, how the content, activities, and assessment of the lesson relate to multiculturalism and diversity concerns. The University supervisor evaluates the lesson using the rubric provided on LiveText. Teacher candidates must have a minimum evaluation of "developing" in each category in order to pass this assessment.

1. For a list of the orientation sessions, click here.
2. To register electronically, visit www.coe.ilstu.edu/eRegistration
3. If you have any difficulties e-mail pba.questions@ilstu.edu and include "orientation" as the subject.

Candidates work in pairs or teams to design and then implement a developmentally appropriate movement lesson geared for children in grades K-5, utilizing essential concepts in physical education. The lesson is videotaped, and candidates self evaluate after watching and listening to the recorded lesson. Videotapes are submitted to the instructor. The student submits a message to the instructor on LiveText, indicating the date that the assignment was completed. The instructor submits the elementary education major’s teaching score for this assignment on LiveText. The completed task addresses program objectives 1 (Development, learning, and motivation), 2.7 (Physical Education), 3.1 (Integrating and applying knowledge for instruction), 3.3 (Development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills), 3.4 (Active engagement learning), 3.5 (Communication to foster learning), 4 Assessment for instruction), 5.1 (Reflection and evaluation), and 5.2 (Collaboration with colleagues and the community).

Candidates submit two course assignments on LiveText to their course instructor as a Reviewer: the first task is an assessment of an elementary student's procedural and conceptual understanding of the mathematical ideas related either to whole number operations or to fractions.  This assessment plan will be written in the form of a lesson plan, explaining in detail how the assessment will be conducted. The second task is a follow-up lesson designed to address the student's misconceptions of the mathematical ideas that were assessed, or to extend the students' knowledge and understanding of the ideas. Each lesson is for the same elementary age student and must be in the same topic area. The completed task addresses program objectives 1 (Development, Motivation and Learning, 2d (mathematics), 3a (Integrating and applying knowledge for instruction,  3b (Adaptation to diverse students), 3c (Development of critical thinking, problem-solving and performance skills, 3d (Active engagement in learning), and 4 Assessment for instruction).

Candidates in C&I 211 prepare a unit that integrates subject areas and focuses on a broad theme.  The integrated unit must be submitted to the 211 instructor in LiveText and will be formally assessed using the rubric in LiveText.  The required components of the unit are:   

• Purpose and Significance: describes the rationale for the unit (why this is a significant topic, why it is important for elementary
  students to learn, how it fits into the elementary curriculum, how the unit is relevant to this age group, and how the approach is
  developmentally appropriate.); target grade level; type of classroom; amount of time that is allotted for unit.  

• Unit Outcomes: overall outcomes for the unit; what the students will know and be able to do as a result of the unit; should include
  content knowledge and specific skills and processes, and may include attitudes and appreciations; must be aligned with stated  Illinois
  Learning Standards. 

• Timeline/Flowchart: all lessons in the unit listed in the order in which they will be taught; requires careful thinking about how to
  sequence individual lessons to scaffold student learning.

• Initial and Culminating Lessons; initial lesson describes how to launch the unit, with consideration of what will arouse the students’
  interest in the topic; should be provision for student input and involvement as well as some way to assess what students already know
  or think they know about the topic; culminating lesson describes a culminating lesson that brings closure to the unit and allows students
  to effectively synthesize and reflect upon what they have learned.

• Content and Skills Development and Integration: activities selected or created to move the students toward achieving the goals
  of the unit; should help the students acquire the knowledge and skills that have been identified in the objectives; should involve a good
  variety of instructional strategies such as small group work, problem solving, experiments, dramatizations and simulations, research,
  games, use of video/films/filmstrips, development of student products, writing and reading; should show meaningful integration with
  other subjects taught at that grade level. 

• Assessment: includes a description of how achievement of the outcomes/ goals will be assessed; both formative and summative
  assessment tasks should be included; should include a variety of methods including such approaches as tests (include a sample),
  rating scales, self-evaluation, peer evaluation, notebooks, journals, interviews, teacher-developed rubrics, dramatic presentation,
  etc.; should be a means of evaluating students’ attainment of each unit goal.

• Instructional Aids and Resources: offers a wide variety of good quality materials that support student learning and teacher
  development; list of web sites, audio-visual materials, CD-ROMs, commercial games, teacher reference books, student literature
  and non-fiction, etc., on the topic of your unit; publisher/distributor information; a brief annotation should be included. 

• Presentation: the entire unit is professionally presented, and shows polished writing mechanics

The completed task addresses program objectives 2a (central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of content), 3a (Integrating and applying knowledge for instruction), (3b (Adaptation to diverse students), 4 (assessment), and  5a (practices and behaviors of developing career teachers).

For El Ed program purposes, this assignment is evaluated by the family newsletter rubric, which you can view in LiveText under projects in the C&I 233.01 Family Newsletter template. (NOTE: This assignment is evaluated a second time as #ITPS G in your ISU teaching portfolio. Candidates in C&I 233.01 form mock instructional teams in a middle school to prepare a newsletter that would be sent home during the first week of school to parents of the students assigned to their team in a school newly transitioned into a middle school model. The following components of the newsletter are required

• Brief article on the rationale of the middle school--purpose, focus, difference from junior high

• Brief article introducing each of the instructional team members--names, content area specializations

• Brief section on the team plans--name, organization, number of students, proposed activities for the year

• Short section on advisory groups--how many students, purpose of program, how often meets, when

• Section on Home/School Communications/Collaboration--parent family events planned, how to
  communicate, solicitation of parent involvement

The completed task addresses program objectives 1.(Development, learning, and motivation),  3e (Communication to foster learning).
5a (Practices and behaviors of developing career teachers),  5c (Collaboration with families), and  5d (Collaboration with colleagues and
the community).

In addition to being a major assignment in C&I 233.01, the family newsletter satisfies ITPS requirement G, desktop publishing. The completed task must be attached on LiveText and sent to the instructor as a Reviewer.